Sigrid thinks she’s met her perfect match with the charming and handsome Christian, but there is one catch: he lives with a man who acts like his pet dog. Things get insidious in the first trailer for the twisted thriller Good Boy, which is due to be released in select theaters and on demand next month, courtesy of Saban Films. Check out the creepy trailer for Good Boy below.

“A bold and original thriller from up-and coming director Viljar Bøe,” the official synopsis for Good Boy begins. “Sigrid thinks she’s met her perfect match with the charming and handsome Christian, but there is one catch- he lives with a man who acts like his pet dog. Trying to be open-minded, Sigrid continues the relationship but soon notices an insidious under-tone to Christian. Maybe ‘puppy play’ isn’t as innocent as it seems.”

Written and directed by Viljar Bøe (Til Freddy), Good Boy stars Gard Løkke (Troll) as mysterious millionaire Christian, who lives with Frank, a man who dresses up and constantly acts like a dog. Newcomer Katrine Lovise Øpstad Fredriksen meanwhile stars as Sigrid, a young student, who meets Christian on a dating app. The rest of the cast includes Amalie Willoch Njaastad, Nicolai Narvesen Lied, Marie Waade Grønning, and Viljar Bøe himself.

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Good Boy Is Inspired by the Japanese Horror Film, Audition

Eihi Shiina as Asami Yamazaki
Art Port

The movie that will quickly come to many a mind while watching the trailer for Good Boy is the 1999 Japanese horror film, Audition, from director by Takashi Miike. And those to think that would be right, as Good Boy director Viljar Bøe has named the celebrated horror flick as one of his main inspirations. Here's him speaking to Eye for Film:

“Yes, it’s very much inspired by Audition. And in the way it plays with genres,” the filmmaker said of Good Boy and the comparison with Audition. “I wanted to make something that felt like a genuinely romantic film. In Audition, it's pretty obvious that it will turn into something else. It flips back and forth between genres. But we were inspired in that way, and we wanted to make something that at the start felt like a genuine romantic film but turned into something else the more we progressed through the story.”

Good Boy has been rated R for some violent content and language, and is due to be released in select theaters, on digital, and on demand on September 8, 2023.